From The Void
by Akio F
Summary: Tsunade has accepted the position of Hokage, but the village of Konoha will need help in their inevitable war with Orochimaru. Naruto, with knowledge of his past and his skill with seals, believes he has an answer. semi-smart Naruto; still hyperactive :D
1. Chapter 1: The Seal

**Hey everybody!! Here is the REAL first chapter. No more teaser. Its still kind of short, but it explains a little more about where the story's gonna go. Hope you like it! READ AND REVIEW!! I have like 14 pages of spiral dedicated to this story (thats big for me) and the chapter s should come faster now that winter break starts friday. BTW the reason this took so long is due to an INSANELY LONG english project so...gomen! Enjoy the real first chapter of From the Void!**

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From The Void

It was 2 AM in the village of Konoha. Normally at this time the woods behind the Hokage faces were silent and empty, nocturnal animals preparing to sleep while those who are active in the light still slept peacefully. But today, if you explored far enough into the depths, you would see a head of blond hair, tinted blue in the moonlight. Naruto Uzumaki worked as silently as the night around him, painting intricate designs slowly and carefully in the large circle of the ground he had cleared previously. He stifled a yawn, trying not to move a centimeter out of place. Everything had to be perfect, or nothing would work. The gigantic seal that lay out nearly completed before him would finally earn him some respect from the villagers, or at least… he hoped it would.

After seeing Jiraiya seal Itachi's black fire into his scroll, he decided to share his secret affinity with seals with the perverted old man. Ero-sennin had been skeptical to say the least, but with a little convincing (namely putting a seal on one of the perv's stupid books that even the toad sage couldn't figure out) he had come to believe in the blonde's ability. Ero-sennin had taught him all, or most, of what he knew about seals, and of his heritage as well.

Naruto stood up after connecting the final line, wiping a bit of sweat from his brow. _Done._ He thought, satisfied with the results. He stepped back, assuming the stance to gather his enormous supply of chakra to activate the seal that lay before him. If Konoha was to wage a war with Orochimaru and the Sound, they were going to need help. A trump card. And who better to protect the village of Konoha… than one of its Kage's?

He was going to summon the Fourth Hokage,

Yellow Flash of Konoha,

and his father

~w00t! X3~

"Kuchiose no jutsu!" he shouted, slamming his palms on two circles connected to the array of interconnecting lines and symbols, his chakra quickly flowing through them like liquid lightning, enveloping the area in a greater blue light than the moon above.

Suddenly, a flash of light blinded Naruto, causing his arms to shoot up, reflexively covering his face. The light faded quickly, and there before him, in all of his malignant glory, was none other than the Shinigami himself. The infamous Death God.

Naruto couldn't help but finch slightly as the Death God's gaze landed on him, glowing eyes and glistening, fang-like teeth enough to scare Orochimaru.

"**Heh heh heh. Well lookie here! Tree times in the last two decades I've been summoned. The first two I get to devour powerful Kages, and the third a Kage's jinchuriki son. Heh heh. Do I get your soul for free boy, or is there some task you want of me first?" **the Shinigami's voice rumbled, his mouth unmoving. Naruto smirked, his fear gone, replaced by his usual over-confidence.

'_You wont be getting my soul at all you stupid old gargoyle.' _He thought to himself . "Ano, Shinigami-san, I have summoned you here with a… special seal of my own. It allows me to offer a trade. If you choose to accept, you will get your meal. But should you refuse, you leave empty handed." The Death God's gaze drifted downward, carefully examining the array below him, still pulsing with Naruto's chakra. He growled. Apparently the seal was working perfectly as planned, and the ancient being wasn't happy.

"**Very well little hanyou, what is your offer?"** _'More hungry than angry I guess…'_ Naruto thought, ignoring the half demon comment.

"The Yondaime Hokage for a soul you have only partially acquired." The Shinigami cocked his head, thinking. "Orochimaru. Snake sannin formerly of Konoha."

There was a pause, the Shinigami just stared blankly, weather in awe or amazment at the gennin's stupidity, Naruto didn't know. Suddenly, a wide, horrifying grin appeared on the Death God's face. **"Heh heh heh heh! Very well! I will allow you to fetch the fourth from my stomach. If you succeed, you must either kill the snake, or be present at the time of his death. His soul will then be transported directly to me. Do you accept these terms little hanyou?"**

Naruto nodded once, his usual overconfident smirk back on his face, despite the slight disgust at the idea of going into someone's _stomach. _Let alone one probably filled with loads of moaning, lonely souls.

"**Very good. Now go! Fetch your Kage and bring me my meal jinchuriki of the leaf!" **the Shinigami boomed, his fang-filled mouth growing larger with each word. **"But do not forget! If you do not survive, your soul will be ****mine!****"**

'_Don't survive?'_ but Naruto had no time to figure out the meaning of the Death God's cryptic choice of words. The Shinigami's mouth had grown to engulf the rest of his body, the malicious fang-filled grin now the size of the Konoha gates.

Slowly, the jaws opened, revealing a pitch-black entrance to…who knows where. Naruto swallowed, this was not what he had expected. Apparently the Death God had a few tricks of his own up his sleeves. The blond turned, looking back in the direction of his home, the still sleeping Konoha, before stepping into the chasm.

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**Okay! So how was it? Next chapter will be up really soon! REVIEWS equal SMILES and VIRTUAL CUPCAKES!!**

**P.S. To all my so far reviewers (three of them minus my buddy Sai-chan) PLEASE read the author's note before the chapters! If you had you would have seen that that wasn't a chapter. It was a preview. I said that at the beginning and all of you asked me to make the chapters longer!! No big deal or anything, I skip author's notes sometimes too, but three complaints in a row got annoying.  
**


	2. Chapter 2: The Void

**SORRY!! The excuse for my absence is horrible so I won't give you one! Here's the next chapter! Hope you like it! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto....happy now stupid copyright thing? HAPPY!?

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Naruto walked slowly, shuffling forward in silence. The enormous blanket of darkness ate all sound, muffling even his own breathing. He couldn't even see his hand in front of his face. He walked for what seemed like hours feeling as though if he stopped he too would be crushed by the pressing darkness.

A whisper of wind, the first he had felt since entering this place, brushed passed him. He shivered violently. It wasn't wind. He recognized the feeling. The intense evil aura. _Demonic Chakra…_ It felt almost the same as Kyuubi's, but darker somehow, more tainted. He continued his march, encountering more and more of these tendrils of dark chakra, his movement straight forward becoming more and more forced.

New sounds came as well, skittering noises that chilled him to the bone. Naruto couldn't see anything through the black, and the noises quickly seemed to surround him. He looked up for a moment, ahead into the abyss, and froze. There was a light! A glowing ball of deep purple light, hovering in the distance, very small and seemingly very close. He smiled, the light giving his face a tint of purple, and broke into a run.

As Naruto ran, the purple orb he had thought was small grew larger and larger. It was impossible to tell how far away it was or how large it was or how large it would get in the solid back it was surrounded in.

Soon the light became more detailed as it got closer, swirling and changing. It was chakra… a huge swirling mass of demonic chakra, sending violet spirals and flares into the abyss. _Bingo!_ Naruto thought, if he had to pick a place to hide a Kage, it would be there. He slowed to a stop, the humongous orb glowing ominously in front of him. He reached a hand out slowly, brushing a tendril of purple energy.

"Ah!" he shouted, pulling his bleeding hand back quickly. "Gonna have to be the hard way then…"Tying his orange jacket around his waist, he quickly formed a seal, a shadow clone popping into view. He held out his hand, already focusing chakra, as the clone shaped the blue orb and made it spin. He launched into, the clone dissipating behind him, and aimed for the center of the gigantic purple mass.

"RASENGAN!" The spinning blue met glowing purple, and tore right through

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Weightless.

That's how Namikaze Minato felt, or, had felt, for too many days to count. At first he would cry, and sometimes he still did, at the loss of his wife. Then he would fight, attempting to free himself from the swirling, dark purple energy that surrounded him, sapping his strength and chakra. But mostly, like now for instance, he would merely float in the constant roar of swirling and crackling energy.

But then, for the first time in too long, there was a new sound. A shout quickly drowned out by the roar. Minato shrugged it off; his mind was playing tricks again. But no, a few seconds later, there was a voice, calling for him. Then, out of the gloom, came a flash of orange.

A hand reached from the blanket of purple, held out to Minato as if to help him. He stared, unmoving. What was this? A hallucination? Slowly, a face appeared. So familiar…

"Yondaime-sama?" the boy said, no more than twelve years old. Minato's eyes widened.

"Wh-who?" he began, but the boy shook his head.

"No time!" the kid shouted over the sound of the wind-like chakra, "The door's closing!" He reached just a little farther, grabbing Minato's hand in a death grip. "Pull!" he yelled over his shoulder, and they began to move.

Slowly, Minato felt himself being pulled from his place in the purple abyss. He looked behind the strange boy, only to see another, an exact copy, clutching to the first's ankles. And another after that. And another. And another. Hundreds of the copies formed a long, single chain. They were moving as well, all of them being pulled backwards toward the 'door' he supposed.

_Kage Bunshin…_ Minato thought absently. Then he finally saw it, his first glimpse of the world outside his purple shell

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Naruto held his ground as best he could, clutching the ankles of the first clone in his chain. He struggled to hold on as the clones swayed with the force of the spinning chakra. He stood at the mouth of the rip he had created, the tendrils of demonic energy lashing out at his outstretched arms. He had to keep chakra circulating through his clones to keep them from dissipating. Suddenly, he heard a shout from one of the bunshin.

"Pull!"

And so he did. Ignoring the pain in his shredded and bleeding arms, he began to back away from the opening. He hissed as the last few tentacles of chakra snapped out at his arms, deepening the wounds even more. He gave one last heave, and the last clone flew from the mass of violet, still clutching the Fourth Hokage.

The blond rushed forward, releasing the clone's ankles and speeding through the clouds of smoke as the chain dispelled. He caught the falling figure of the Yondaime awkwardly with his arms, wincing at the pain. The Kage landed heavily in the boy's arms, sending them both to the ground.

There was a whoosh of air and they were back in the clearing. The sky was tinted orange on the horizon as the sun rose, and the animals of the day were already beginning to wake. Naruto stood shakily, getting to his feet without the use of his arms. He checked on the older blond, watching as he sat up slowly with his disused muscles. The fourth was completely out of energy, and completely confused.

"**So!" **a voice boomed, making them both jump. The Shinigami flickered into view in the center of the clearing, his wicked grin didn't seem quite so happy. **"You survived eh little child? Very well! I have kept my word and you must now keep yours! Bring me the snake Sannin. If you are not the one to kill him or you are not present at the time of his death, I shall consume your soul as payment!"** Naruto nodded once, his face grim. **"Agreed! Your fate is now sealed!" **The Death God snapped his fingers, and immediately there was a flash of light, and a blood-red seal had carved itself just below his collarbone. An eye, surrounded by strange symbols, glared up at him.

"**I will be watching…" **the Shinigami's voice rasped one last time before he faded, and Naruto's seal on the floor of the clearing slowly ended it's sapphire glow.

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**It is SUMMER people!! NO MORE SCHOOL!! HAHAHAHAHA!!! I'm reaaaaaaally sorry about the gap guys... No drive to write I'm afraid... Hope this semi-made up for it!! READ AND REVIEW!!!**


	3. PLEASE read! and don't be mad!

**OH MY GOD!!**

**HELLO EVERYBODY! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME BUT THIS IS NOT YOUR LONG-ABSENT CHAPTER!! I just wanted to let you all know that:**

**A) NO I AM NOT ABANDONING THESE STORIES!!!**

**B) I AM MONUMENTALLY SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING AND BEING DEAD TO THE WORLD FOR SO LONG!!**

**C) I AM NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU A LAME-$$ EXCUSE FOR BEING GONE BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE INSULTING TO YOU GUYS AND ME**

**and Q) I PROMISE TO UPDATE EACH ONE OF THESE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!! PLEASE DO NOT KILL ME!!!**

**SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY**

**_Sincerely_, Akio  
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